Q I am 67, receiving a State pension of £91.87, Industrial Injuries of £33.03 and occupational pension of £39.97, all weekly. My wife, who is terminally ill, has a State Pension of £61.87. Our savings are £200. Can we expect any help through Pension Credit or with our council tax of £956.11 a year?

A As things stand, you are due Council Tax Benefit of about £9.28 a week. Because of your wife's condition, you may be able to claim Attendance Allowance under the special rules for the terminally ill. This would be £58.80 a week and would not reduce other benefits. The claim would be dealt with very quickly, so call the Benefit Enquiry Line on 0800 882200 for the claim forms.

Once this is in payment, you could claim underlying entitlement to Carer's Allowance as her carer. This would bring you in for Pension Credit of about £4.13 a week and increase Council Tax Benefit to about £13.56.

Q Having read in your column of a couple who were able to get a council tax reduction with a monthly income of £1,460, I wonder if we can qualify with an income of £1,369? This is made up of our State Pensions of £347.24 and £192, private pensions of £422.34 and £20, my War Pension of £152.88 and my wife's Attendance Allowance of £235.20. Our council tax is £1,069.65 and we have £12,000 in savings.

A You should be due something, but precisely what depends on how the council treats your War Pension. They have the discretion to ignore all or part of it. As your wife has Attendance Allowance, you too should be claiming underlying entitlement to Carer's Allowance. Claim this and you will get a rebate of at least £6 a week, or it could be £12 if your War Pension is ignored.

Q My friend did not get a Widows Allowance as she was under 45 when her husband died. Once she reaches 45, will she qualify then?

A No. Unless you have children, this allowance is only payable if you have reached 45 at the time of your spouse's death. It is now called Bereavement Allowance, as widowers can get it too, but it is only payable for a year.